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David Orr to retire from NHF in September
David Orr will stand down from his role as chief executive of the National Housing Federation (NHF) in September, the organisation has announced.
Mr Orr, who has been chief executive of the umbrella body representing housing associations in England since 2005, announced his departure in a statement today.
In an email to members he said: “I wanted to let you know personally that, earlier today, I informed the [NHF] board of my intention to retire at the end of September.
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“This has not been an easy decision to make. I feel enormously privileged to have had the opportunity to make the case for the brilliant work that our members do in every part of the country.
“The more time I have spent with you, the more I am convinced that the future success of housing associations is critical to the future success of this country. I am proud that I have played my part in securing this future over the course of my career, and especially during my time leading the NHF.”
Before becoming chief executive of the NHF, he was previously chief executive of the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations and housing association Newlon Housing Trust. Earlier in his career, he also worked for homelessness charity Centrepoint.
He is a former president of Housing Europe, the European network for social housing, and chair of the board of Reall, previously known as Homeless International.
In a lengthy interview with Inside Housing earlier this year, Mr Orr said the housing association sector has an “obligation... to make this a moment of change” following the Grenfell Tower disaster.
Diana Warwick, chair of the NHF board, said: “It has been an absolute pleasure to work with David and on behalf of the board I want to thank him for his extraordinary contribution to the housing association movement.
“Over the past 12 years David has championed the independence and ambitions of housing associations, and their critical role in tackling the housing crisis.
“David will continue to provide strong leadership for the NHF over the coming months, as we conduct an extensive and thorough recruitment process for his successor.”
Mr Orr has led the sector’s lobbying efforts on a number of issues during his time leading the NHF, most controversially during 2015’s ‘voluntary deal’ on the Right to Buy.
He asked associations to agree to voluntarily adopt the new Conservative government’s policy of extending the Right to Buy to housing associations.
While this was controversial with some, many in the sector have cited it as a turning point in the sector’s relationship with government.
Discussing the moment he announced plans for the vote on the deal in an interview with Inside Housing, he said: “It’s interesting in the space of five minutes having someone say to you face to face ‘you’re a genius, how the hell did you manage to do that?’ and someone else saying ‘you completely sold out, you bastard’."
At the NHF conference earlier this year, Mr Orr called on the government to switch grant funding for Starter Homes to social rent, a move which was adopted in the Budget in autumn.
Sir Edward Lister, chair of Homes England, said: “David Orr is an industry leader who has shaped the debate on affordable housing in recent years. He has overseen major changes in the ambitions and make-up of housing associations and he can retire proud in the knowledge that the sector is ready to make a significant contribution to addressing the housing shortage in this country.
"On behalf of the team at Homes England, I’d like to thank David for his wisdom, passion and good humour and we wish him well in his retirement.”
